When the subject of a debate is fashion, regardless of whether it takes part in a supermarket aisle or in a college class room, one of the things that seem to be always brought up is whether fashion is superficial and whether people who are interested in fashion are too materialistic. This is something that has become so strongly embedded in our minds that there is even a stereotype of the fashion person, who is someone who is interested just in their outside and not so much in their inside, and especially not in the others’ insides.
There seems to be a dichotomy in the way in which many people regard fashion: you are either a fashion enthusiast, which makes you 100% materialistic or you are not interested at all in your apparel. It’s kind of like the you can’t be a smart and sexy man at the same time syndrome.
So, we can’t help but wonder: if you know that the most important things in life aren’t your shoes, does this mean that you should be wearing bad shoes?
In a 1980s interview, fashion icon Diana Vreeland said that money is crucial and that “anyone who thinks otherwise must be insane”. While this was something that might have come as a shock back in the day, today we can all agree that the money you can dispose of will define a good part (not all) of the quality of your life.
When it comes to money and objects such as clothes, accessories or cars, it is important to think why we buy certain things. If you spend money on things you don’t need or even like because you feel you need to fit a mold or to impress people you don’t like or care about, you might be on a way down. Having a cookie-cutter life is never a great way to go. Also, owning things in the hope that they will make you feel more valuable is, as numerous studies have shown, an inefficient coping mechanism. Your possessions can make you feel more confident and they can make you feel more comfortable with yourself, as being able to look on the outside the way you feel on the inside is always a positive, but clothes and objects in general will almost never give you your self-worth.
The pursuit of self-esteem and self-worth through acquiring material things reduces self-esteem and self-worth. One must never value themselves as their belongings. Your clothes are an expression of who you are, they are not who you are. Seeing yourself as your material possessions will only lead to a constant comparison to others, which is a cruel race where you can’t really win.
This is how ownership goes for many in reverse, as they end up being owned by the things they have and not the other way around.
Materialism and the senseless pursuit of things is something that affects both rich and poor, it has nothing to do with your social standing or the size of your bank account.
By nature, the human brain is wired in such a way that we think that getting new stuff will make us happy. Researchers have advanced multiple theories, for example, that since resources were limited in the past, people have created the need to compete over them and to claim as large a part as possible. In the end, we don’t really know why our brains function in this way. Who knows, maybe we believe that owning things will make us safe, as back in the day having something good to wear and something to eat were the things that could make a difference in your survival.
But, in modern society, many people shop for things in the hope that a pile of things will either fill an emotional and/or psychological void or that it will serve as a safety net when times get hard.
And this is the key to our question’s answer: “If you know that the most important things in life aren’t your shoes, does this mean that you should be wearing bad shoes?”
The answer is “No”. To grasp this, we must understand that the two: Labels and love, to put it in Sex and the City terms, are not related. Material things don’t make up for emotional holes. But, this does not mean that material things are useless, senseless and should not be cared about. Not only do clothes and accessories make one feel more confident and more present in his own body, but clothes are also symbols and have a cultural and personal value.
In a world where everything is designed to be tossed, too many people seem to disregard the value of things. Our belongings are the things that make up for the décor of our lives. Therefore, they should be a reflection of us and have a certain value. Focusing on clothes for clothes’ sake will make you depressed, but focusing on clothes for the role they have in your life is a way to make your life richer.
Being rich in health, communion, and knowledge is more important that being rich in material things, as material things can go anytime, but this does not mean that your inside should not be expressed on the outside.
In the end, you should always remember that having things will not define you and you should never base your relationships and connections on having things, as doing so, they will have a rocky foundation. Being a good man doesn’t cost anything and can’t be bought.
This is why you should always remember to try to be the vest version of yourself and to always dive in good people, good knowledge and good discernment, as you need a good inside in order to be able to express a good outside.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
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P.S. We want to hear from you! What is your take on the relation between the inside and the outside? What role should clothes and other belongings have in one’s life? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!